Monthly General Meeting

Technology can help many people in many different ways. The idea of this meeting is to highlight some of the helpful ways technology can assist people live better, and in particular to show what is available at NYU's Rusk Institute.

Our Speaker, Holly Cohen is a clinical specialist in assistive technology from NYU's Rusk Institute. Some of the technology is simple and straightforward, but you may not have heard about it. However, much of the new technology has been described as "Beyond the State of the Art". This is a unique opportunity for people in need of help, or their caregivers, to learn how they may help themselves or others.

Stan Silver, long time NYPC member and our past president had ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. Holly helped Stan manage his problems with mobility and communication on the computer and by voice. Stan organized this meeting and unfortunately did not live to see it happen. His hope was that the meeting would be a help to many others.

I asked Holly for a description of her talk and she sent the following:

The Outpatient Occupational Therapy Department, at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine is now offering a specialized therapy program for individuals requiring assistive technology to improve the quality of their lives.

Assistive Technology is defined by the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, the term refers to “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.” Examples of assistive technologies include: screen readers and magnifiers, closed captioning, alternative keyboards, environmental control units, and other special software and equipment that makes information devices more accessible.

Approach

Overall, the focus of the program is to recommend individualized assistive technology solutions that enhance abilities and meet the goals of clients for their daily needs. Assistive technology can improve clients’ performance with their functional activities thus maximizing clients’ level of independence and quality of life.

Services Provided

This specialized assistive technology program offers recommendations for: Environmental control units and integrating into power mobility devices Augmentative Communication to enhance an individual's ability to communicate in both leisure and work related settings. Adaptations to computer access technology including, alternate keyboards, on screen keyboards, voice recognition, encoding, scanning, alternatives to the standard mouse. Others include performance enhancers/word prediction technology, workspace technology, solutions for optimal function and ergonomic solutions, and low vision adaptive technology.

Once an individual is referred to the Assistive Technology Program, the occupational therapist provides the following services:
--Comprehensive Functional Evaluation
--Detailed report of recommendations
--Follow-up meetings with patient and family
--In-home assessment for set-up of assistive technology
--Identify other specialized areas, including barrier free design, vocational rehabilitation, and seating and mobility.
--Assisting with investigating funding sources for accessing assistive technology.

Referral Process

Physician referral is required for an appointment. Your primary care physician can refer you to the Rusk Institute Outpatient Occupational Therapy Department for an Assistive Technology by faxing your prescription to 212.263.0113. Referrals for outpatients are accepted from all physicians licensed in New York State. For any questions concerning our program, please call 212.263.6016.

We hope you become an NYPC member, and if you are a member, then be sure to tell a friend that this is one of New York City's Best Bargains.

by William Ginsberg

6:00PM   Doors open
6:30PM   Announcements, Questions and Answers
7PM       Presentation

(Note different Location)
Jewish Guild for the Blind
15 West 65th Street (near Lincoln Center)
New York, N.Y.
Paid Parking is available near the front door

The Meeting is Free, Open to All and is Handicap Accessible. Our thanks to the Jewish Guild for the Blind for making this handicap accessible location available for this special meeting. For more information about the Guild go to: www.JGB.org.